The sixties spy craze was a toy manufacturer’s dream. The gadgets, weapons, and vehicles employed by TV stars like The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and toy company creations like Topper Toys’ Secret Sam were tailor-made for elaborate, action-feature filled replicas. But one character dominated the toy aisle as he did the silver screen: James Bond. It took toy manufacturers a few movies to catch on, but after the record-setting box office success of Goldfinger, companies like Corgi and Gilbert were ready with action figures, vehicles, and role-play items for 1965’s follow-up, Thunderball.
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For Christmas that year, no toy was more desirable to children than James Bond’s tricked-out Aston Martin DB5. The car’s on-screen appearance was practically a toy commercial itself, and both Gilbert and Corgi were ready with scale replicas. Today, the kids that clamored for the Aston Martin in 1965 are grown-up collectors with grown-up budgets, competing with the intervening sixty-five years of James Bond fans for the still-sought after Gilbert Aston Martin. Next week, Heritage is auctioning a sample mint-in-box – only with a catch: the same action features that made this toy a favorite for kids and collectors alike might not work anymore.
Why James Bond’s Aston Martin Made a Perfect Toy
James Bond’s history with the Aston Martin begins with Ian Fleming’s 1959 novel Goldfinger, where Bond takes the car from MI6’s motorpool in order to better serve his cover for a mission. Though Fleming’s books are notoriously lower-tech than the gadget-heavy films, the car in the novel includes enhancements similar to those seen in the film – and on the toy. The novel’s Aston Martin includes switches to alter its head and tail lights, reinforced bumpers, a concealed weapon under the driver’s seat, a homing device, and hidden compartments.
The Q-department modified Aston Martin DB5 from 1964’s film Goldfinger is more elaborate than the one described in the novel, higher-tech and less plausible. Just as Desmond Llewellyn’s Q did for Bond in the film, Heritage sums up the features included on the Gilbert replica in their listing for the lot: “features Bond’s famous arsenal of spy functions, including bulletproof shield, hidden machine guns, crash bumpers, tire cutters, revolving license plates, and the push-button ejection seat that sends the unlucky passenger through the roof.”
Most of the action features were manually operated, though the car “drove” when batteries were installed. The machine guns, bulletproof shield, and crash bumpers were also battery-triggered, with the machine guns extending and lighting up when in use. A simple “on-off” switch controlled the action, setting the clockwork-like inner mechanisms of the toy into motion. One YouTube reviewer took the vehicle apart to demonstrate these inner workings, enabling a deeper appreciation for the toy’s intricacy. The revolving license-plates were triggered by pressing on the car’s rear antenna. The ejector seat feature was realized with plastic half-body figures of Bond and his unwanted passenger. The passenger is loaded onto a spring in the seat, then a button is pressed to send him flying.
Why Gilbert’s James Bond Toyline is Still Definitive
Gilbert went all-in on James Bond products in 1965 and ’66, making items across scales, price-points, and categories. This included some of the only James Bond action figures ever produced, with 12”, G.I. Joe-esque figures of James Bond and Oddjob. Akin to the G.I. Joes of the era, several outfit and accessory kits were made to pair with Bond, allowing kids to recreate his look from several films and sequences (the Thunderball-inspired scuba Bond was a strong seller). The unarticulated 3” figurines Gilbert produced, featuring characters from the first four films, remain the most extensive James Bond action figure line ever produced. These were sold individually, in “gift sets” of ten, or in three-packs with a small vehicle or diorama piece as “Spy-Action Sets.”
Though Gilbert produced numerous other vehicles for their Bond line, including a “Road Race” slot car set with a smaller Aston Martin replica and an enemy vehicle, the Aston Martin is unique in both scale and detail. Complete, working samples sell for $600-800, making the untested condition of Heritage’s sample a risky proposition at a current price of $425. Even without the battery-operated features, the toy retains a high degree of functionality, and will make a strong centerpiece to one Bond collector’s shelf.
What’s your favorite James Bond gadget? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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Forum Conversation: What's your favorite minor character in The Bear?
Go to ForumAll the Faks hahahaha
I love The Faks lmao, just Neil and Ted though, really, they’re like cartoon characters
Colman and Odenkirk were my immediate thoughts, but also have to give a shoutout to John Mulaney as Stevie – the scene where the Faks pitch him their baseball card scheme is so good